Adult Decisions
by Lidsworth
Summary: When a twelve year old Naruto turns up with a stomach bug that prevents him from continuing school, as usual, no gives a second thought about it. Iruka takes it upon himself to see what the blond's problem is, and finds out the situation is far worse than a stomach bug. Warnings: Mpreg, Rape...etc. COMPLETE :D
1. Adult Decisions

**AN: This'll most likely have two parts to it, or one. just been thinking about it for a while, need to get it off my chest. This story will most likely be four chapters or five**

**If you don't like gorey and depressing things, I wouldn't read. It should be rated "M", but i'll go with "T" in hopes that they don't purge it. **

**Summary: When a twelve year old Naruto turns up with a stomach bug that prevents him from continuing school, as usual, no one cares. Iruka takes it upon himself to see what the blond's problem is, and finds out the situation is far worse than a stomach bug.**

**Warnings: Mpreg, Rape...etc.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**OOOOO**  
**Adult Decisions**

The thin piece of paper shook violently in Iruka's hand, and slowly, he peered at the young boy laying in the hospital bed, completely oblivious of the dangerous situation he was forcefully being thrown in.

Iruka took a breath. He was an adult now, it was time to make adult decisions. He was all Naruto had, all the boy looked up to. So he had to make the decisions, Iruka had to.

A child couldn't raise a child, Naruto couldn't raise a child.

Death was the only option, killing the baby before it was born was all Iruka could compromise. He could save Naruto from pain and further humiliation, all for the cost of a human life.

Damn the Kyuubi and it's twisted chakra, damn the villagers disgusting tendencies to torture a defenseless boy.

Damn Iruka for letting it happen.

He sighed and took a deep breath, a calm shuddering breath. There was no need to blame himself now, no point in blaming others, faceless villagers who wouldn't fess up for what they'd done.

Again, Iruka reminded himself that Naruto was a child who was clearly incapable of raising another child, and adult decisions had to be made.

"Abortion"

The word felt so foreign on the teacher's tongue, so poisonous and potent.

Disgusting was more of a synonym for such a cruel act. He was a teacher, he could never dream of killing a child, especially a child who couldn't fend for itself.

Then Naruto would have to live with it, live with the waste of what the village did to him?

Should Iruka even tell Naruto? What was the point, the boy seemed confused and disoriented, the shock of his supposed rape at the hand of the villagers altering his mind completely, hiding the act and making it nothing more than a second thought.

Naruto didn't remember, his body didn't want him to, and Iruka decided he wasn't ready for Naruto to know either.

It wasn't his business, perhaps it wasn't even his job to step in. But who else did Naruto have?  
Again, it was time for Iruka to start making adult decisions, even if Naruto wasn't entirely aware of the situation.

SO he decided to choose life...for Naruto. It wasn't up to him, it truly should not have been up to him, but the Sandaime had hopes in him, and Naruto would have to trust him as well.

He weighed his other two options, the only options the doctors had given him.

C section when the baby was safe enough to survive outside of Naruto's body, or wait the entire term out.

However, each had scary and potentially fatal side effects. Naruto was young, in all honesty, his body couldn't sustain that of another, the only thing giving him leverage was the Kyuubi's chakra, but at the moment of birth, the seal could break and endanger all in the village.

Not that again.

And to make matters worse, Iruka hardly knew anyone powerful enough to sustain such chakra. Sure, Sandaime was a legend, a living legend, but was he skilled enough in fuuinjutsu to sustain the seal when the time came?  
And his fuuinjutsu wasn't nearly enough to sustain the seal that contained the Kyuubi.

Maybe abortion would be the best option. And he hated it, absolutely hated it, hated the fact that Naruto had been put in such a situation, hated the fact that at the end of the day one child would be dead, and hated the fact that Sandaime had such high hopes in him which resulted in him making life changing decisions.

Adult decisions.

OOOOOOO

Iruka performed a mental headcount of his classroom, and for the second time this week noted that Naruto had been absent from class again.

Iruka wondered why Naruto did this so often, why he thought it was so funny to skip class when he was fully aware of how much Iruka cared for him.

Perhaps Naruto was still sick, the boy was complaining about a stomach ache during the weekend, two days before school started. Iruka blamed it on Naruto's terrible eating habits, and bought him stomach medicine and ordered him to rest.

That had been four days ago, and Iruka cursed himself for not visiting Naruto in that short span.

Defiantly, today, he'd do so.

As he'd learned from experience, class without Naruto tended to end earlier than classes that were with Naruto. As usual, hardly any students or teachers were concerned about Naruto, save for Hinata, Shikamaru and Chouji, other than that unfortunate trio, Iruka was the only one.

He considered stopping by the Ramen shop, asking the old man if he'd seen Naruto, but decided against it.

Instead, he headed straight to Naruto's house.

The door was unlocked like always, and Iruka was so grateful for that. He assumed that had it not been unlocked, all the anticipated worry built up during the past few days would surely explode and result in a kicked in door.

But it was unlocked, so Iruka let himself in.

"Naruto, i'm coming in!" he announced loudly as he removed his shoes before entering. When he heard no one reply, he got worried, very worried.

The apartment was a mess as always, and Iruka found himself jumping over piles of garbage and laundry in order to make his way to Naruto's bedroom.

He hoped that the boy hadn't been hurt, that he wasn't...dead. He couldn't bare to lose Naruto, it would be too much.

"Don't think like" that he told himself as he neared Naruto's room.

The door was already partially opened. Like the rest of the house, he could see clothes scattered around, empty ramen cups and an hand... a shaking hand followed by thumping noises.

Like a...like a seizure!  
Iruka threw the door open and paled when he saw Naruto on the floor, the boy drained of all color, foam erupting from the mouth and shaking violently.

"NARUTO!" Iruka shouted in terror as he rushed to the child's side, unsure of what to do. He needed help, so quickly, he weaved a hand sign and sent a shadow clone to the hospital, as well as one to the Hokage.

For now, he calmed himself down the best he could, it was all on him. Naruto was shaking violently, his head hitting the floor at incredible speeds. Iruka quickly grabbed a pillow and put it under the boys small head as the shaking continued. Next, he turned him to his side in order to prevent him from endangering himself more than he already had.

As custom of Iruka, whenever faced with the task of nursing an injured teammate, or student perhaps, he'd use his chakra to quickly scan over their body. It was never recommended by any medics, nor was it known to them. It was just a technique that put Iruka at ease, something about his chakra allowed him to easily tap into that of others.

He did this with Naruto, taking heed to the fact that the Kyuubi chakra was strong within the boy. It was subtle chakra, not too strong to penetrate, just strong enough to sense. Nothing chakra wise, save for the Kyuubi. Iruka assumed that's what the growing chakra near Naruto's abdomen supposedly was.

A medic barging through the door pulled Iruka from his thoughts, and now put a sense of calamity in the young Chunin.

OOOOOO

It had been over two weeks since Iruka had discovered Naruto like that, two weeks since he'd been hospitalized and recently released, and two weeks since Iruka had made a decision.

Yet surprisingly, Naruto remembered nothing.

The medics questioned him, ANBU interrogated him. And with Iruka being one of the only trustworthy adults, one of the closest to Naruto, the Medics had told them what they'd found. His injuries were self treated, and considering their location near the lower half of Naruto's body, the Medics had assumed it to be rape. And judging by the state of the injury, it had been brutal and the reason Naruto had missed so many days of school.

The pregnancy, however, was a result of the Kyuubi's was the reason for the seizure as well. As ludicrous as it sounded, Iruka soaked it all up, seeing it to be the only logical explanation.

The Hokage assured him that all was true, though his eyes betrayed his words. Iruka accepted it nonetheless, but expected the truth to surface sooner or later.

And now he was marching Naruto out of the village for his own safety, and that of the innocent residing in the village.

He only told the boy it was a training exercise that required him to be away from the village, he hadn't told him what his true intentions were.

What made things worse was the Hokage's tendency to place immense trust into Iruka, especially when it came to the matter of keeping the tailed beast in check. From Iruka's understanding, the Fourth himself had failed to conceal the beast within it's jinchuuriki, so how would Iruka, with his mediocre sealing techniques, perform such a high level jutsu?

Well, according to the Hokage, the key was love, the amount of love Iruka held for Naruto.

But he doubted himself still.

Iruka calmed himself as he walked with Naruto soundly sleeping on his back, he could feel a panic attack coming on.

He was told that this building was the same place Kushina Uzumaki had given birth to Naruto in order to ensure the safety of the village.

It was thought to be far enough to protect the citizens of Konoha, but evidently, it hadn't been enough.

However, the Hokage reassured Iruka, letting him know that there would be double the protection this time, as Iruka had been briefed about the entire story.

Not that it had put him at ease any.

Apparently, the number of medics had been doubled as well, and unfortunately, Naruto had awaken the instant they'd stepped foot in the building.

The darkness of the room in contrast with the white of the medics clothing had clearly unsettled the boy, and Naruto tried to turn away.

Confused and betrayed blue eyes stared into soft brown eyes. In a blink of an eye, Naruto was torn from Iruka, shouting and struggling as the medics dragged him to a bed and roughly forced him on it, snapping his wrist and ankles into binds that prevented him from moving.

The next moments moved in a blur as the medics performed a technique to induce labor, and Iruka's ears were mute to Naruto's screaming.

In a second, Iruka was above Naruto, performing the hand signs necessary to contain the tailed beast, and taking the Third's advice into mind.

Love...he thought of his devotion towards Naruto as his hands wavered over Naruto's stomach, the stomach that was now being sliced open as the boy screamed his heart out, and as the seal weakened and the Kyuubi braced it's chance for escape.

Iruka remembered small yet meaningful moments he spent with Naruto. At the ramen stand, at the part, at the swing, at Iruka's own apartment, all meetings with the boy were memorable, all live changing.

And though little, Iruka decided this would be the power, the love that would fuel the seal.

Through Naruto's screaming and crying, through the nine tails shoving and pushing it's way out, trying to overcome Naruto, through heaps of Iruka's chakra poured into the seal as the man tired himself, and through the effort of the medics around him, the shrill shriek of a child crying marked the end of such an agonizing moment.

Naruto's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he heaved for air and while the medics sealed his stomach. Without the opportunity of childbirth, the Kyuubi (with the help of Iruka's chakra) was forced back into the recess of Naruto's mind, sealing the monster within the boy.

With his senses seeping back to him, Iruka looked towards the bundle being worked on by one of the medics.

He attempted to make his way there, just to see what the baby looked like. But his entire body ached with fatigue and exhaustion. He hadn't known how he's sealed the Kyuubi, but the side effects from such chakra usage was catching up.

Iruka fell to the ground and darkness surrounded him.

OOOOOOO

A threat written in a note and a list of foster families were not things Iruka had been prepared to see when he woke up in the hospital.

The threat basically told him to keep his mouth shut, and if anyone was to find out about it (save for the upper ninja (ANBU/Jounin and some granted chunin (Kotetsu and Izumo)), the Council, Hokage, and he family he was to go to (the baby that is)) Iruka's head would be on a platter, and the Root of Konoha would be feasting on it.

Signed, Danzo.

The Hokage had discussed foster families with him, normal civilian foster families. It was for the child's own good, which turned out to be a boy with flaming red hair and bright blue eyes. He looked like Naruto. The baby had the Kyuubi's chakra to thank for his survival though, he would've been dead and deformed had he not had it.

So, after about an hour and one prayer, Iruka believed he found the perfect foster family.

A foster family had been selected for the boy, and he had moved with them a week after his birth. Naruto's mind had been altered, thus he remembered nothing.

That was alright with Iruka, he'd taken care of everything anyway. He visited with the family, and a nice family it was. They already had two kids, one biological and one a foster, taking in Naruto's son would be no different and they would treat him no different.

They were civilians, though they wouldn't refrain from putting him in the academy if that's what he wanted. It would be a long walk though.

Now Iruka dismissed his students, pushing last weeks events to the depths of his mind. He watched as Naruto walked with Shikamaru and Chouji, not a care in the world burdening the 12 year old's shoulders.

Iruka smiled, he'd made the right decision. Naruto was just a boy, not an adult. Iruka made adult decisions for Naruto so he wouldn't have to.

However, he wouldn't be surprised if this came back to haunt him.

**And yes, it will come back to haunt Iruka, badly. I hope you liked it, it's different. I'm trying out a new style, so tell me what you think of it, this was my test for it, and depending on the feedback, i'll continue or not continue. I really do hope you like it, it took me three days to write! Anyway, who read the latest chapter? I hope they don't die. Anyway, have a nice week and God bless!**


	2. Reaping

**AN: I'm glad you liked it, but i'm sorry it took me so long to update. Looks like this story is almost over! The beginning chapter, like the previous chapter, will be similar to that of an introduction just so you're not confused, but I plan to actually have dialogue in this chapter. Anyway, I was thinking of Naruto finding out a different way, but it's like him to jump to conclusions without questioning authority which is exactly what he will do in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**OOOOOO**

_**Reaping**_

Three years had passed since that dreadful time in Iruka's life, and in three years, Iruka was starting to feel a lot better than he had in ages.

Every day, however, the twinge of guilt associated with separating a potential family still haunted him, but the wound wasn't as deep as it had been at first.

Occasionally, he checked up on the youngest Uzumaki, whose name had been changed for protection.

Not a traditional name, not at all. Christopher, or Chris for short, as for his last name, he took that of his foster family.

Shizen.

He was familiar with Iruka, and the three year old usually called him "The Strange Man", because what normal citizen hung upside down with no ropes or anything of the sort?  
His family lived in the civilian area, far away from the ninja academy, yet his mother and father had raised three children in the past that turned out to be successful ninja, the rest pursued different passions, such as clergy, music, art. etc, and now they were content with just raising Chris, another foster child, and their own biological daughter.

He was happy, Iruka could see it in the boy's eyes whenever he visited him.

Now he only lived with facing Naruto daily, seeing the same blue eyes that had held so much fear the day he was forced to give birth to a child he held no love for, nor knew anything about. The guilt, Iruka hated to admit, sometimes ate him alive. He believed Naruto had a right to know, but for his own good, and for the good of many others, he kept the secret to himself.

As for secrets, others had been revealed to him over the past three years.

The rape wasn't an accident, it was an experiment for the "Greater Good" spearheaded by the Village Council itself.

It was a failed experiment, and one that never should have been. Thus, the threat on Iruka's head remained, only to be calmed when the child was deemed "untouchable" by the Hokage.

Things hadn't changed much after the Sandaime's death.

However, being the newly appointed Hokage, Tsunade was left with the sensitive information regarding the incident that had befallen Naruto, the incident he had no idea about.

Of course, trust between the new Hokage and Iruka had been timid at first, but through various conversations, she began to understand the Chunin's resolve, as well as the situation he'd been put in.

Therefore, she'd agreed to keep Naruto's past a secret from him, but when the resolve had been made, she warned Iruka that such a secret would come back with terrorizing results.

And though he reassured her countlessly that he was prepared for the consequences to come, both sides knew that one was lying.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Seeing Sasuke Uchiha was equivalent to seeing a blue moon. It almost never happened, and when it did, like a blue moon, it usually left a lasting impression.

The lasting impression usually being the effects of Sasuke's sharingan, the sharingan that had the power to tap into the darkest memories of one's mind and usually use it against them.

Sasuke had used this once against Naruto, and as a result, had access to the monster locked deep within Naruto's head.

That encounter had been a short one and a displeasing one.

The same could be said for Naruto's recent encounter with his "friend", except, it was longer and much more displeasing.

Presently, Naruto Uzumaki walked back into the village ahead of his team, fist clench hard enough to puncture his palms, breath hitched, eyes narrow, borderlining slits laced with red, and one person dead on his mind.

Iruka Umino.

The mental war waged between him and Sasuke was still fresh on his mind, and memories came flooding into his head. Memories that were sealed away from him. He remembered the shocked look on Sasuke's face when the genjutsu was broken out of pure pity and some twisted respect, the pitiful look, the confused look drilled into Sasuke's face, all directed towards Naruto.

Team Taka had disappeared quickly after that, as the genjutsu had been exposed to everyone. It was Sasuke's idea of torturing Naruto even further, bringing him down to his lowest level and exposing his pain to the new Team Seven.

He hadn't expected to find out Naruto had been raped which resulted in a three year old son. The image, he could tell, scarred Sasuke and his team.

Now Naruto was positively seething, and his team was right to give him space. Any words of soothing they had directed towards him would only result in him lashing back at them tenfold.

Sai's expression, as always, was unreadable. And quickly, he disappeared before they made their way back to the village.

Kakashi eyes held a twinge of disdain in his one visible eye, and perhaps a hint of disgust in the one covered by his headband.

Yamato, as usual, looked utterly shocked.

Sakura's expression however wasn't shocked or disgusted, it was pitiful, and almost angry.

Naruto hated the feeling of eyes on him, it was a reminiscent of the villager's stares directed towards him. And oh, how he wanted to make them pay.

He would hurt Iruka, not physically, but the man had no right to keep something like that against him...not at all. He trusted Iruka, yet he was being lied to day after day.

Clenching his fist, he made his way through the village, not even stopping to greet the gate keepers.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Iruka had an uncanny ability to feel when something bad was coming, and even more so when something bad was coming his way.

It usually began with the "pins and needles" feeling, than later, depending on the level of the danger directed towards him, the feeling of butterflies erupted like a volcano in his stomach making him terribly uncomfortable.

That same feeling had shadowed him throughout his day. During the ninja academy, during his shift in the missions room, and now towards the end of the day when the sun was almost gone, the feeling was igniting in his stomach, paving the way for serious panic attack. They were terrible little things that usually involved panting, trembling and crying.

He hadn't had a panic attack in a while, nothing had been serious enough to trigger one.

Skimming through various food stands, Iruka tried to distract himself by looking at the different colors stacked up in certain crates.

There was yellow, green, blue, orange...orange. Orange like the jumpsuit Naruto sported,

and blue like his ocean eyes, and yellow like his wild hair.

Iruka shuddered. Why was thinking about Naruto worrying him? That boy was a ball of energy, a Godsend to anyone in need of a little light in their life.

But just like a Godsend, if betrayed and lied to, Naruto could be an omen of sorts as well.

Iruka sighed as he continued walking, nervously smiling at familiar faces, excusing himself as he partially collided with those in his path.

He didn't slow down though, he continued to quicken his pace.

He felt something coming, an enemy of himself perhaps, a personally created nemesis?

"Sensei, I really think you should go home now," pink hair was quickly glued to his side, grasping his arm and guiding him, if even possible, more quickly towards his destination.

Sakura's presence didn't calm him any, in fact, it panicked him even more.

"Sakura, what's_"

Iruka turned around .

"Oi! Iruka Sensei!" that voice, that once bubbly voice was now laced with venom and pure disdain.

Sakura paled beside Iruka and her hand loosened its grip, the air deflating from her body as Naruto parted his way through the crowd of busy villagers, his foul attitude acting as the primary divider.

People cast him ugly looks, while others simply ignored the boys rude gestures. However, Naruto had already spearheaded the beginning of a potential scene, as he'd unknowingly captured everyone's attention while practically growling his former Sensei's name.

Iruka already knew this wasn't going to be pretty, as Naruto stopped just feet before him. The boy was seething, his fist were clenched, his face was red, his breathing was uneven and his eyes were swirling with emotion, tinted red with hate.

He trembled with anger as Iruka slightly trembled with fear.

Not fear of his student, but fear of the harsh words that were to come.

"He knows," Sakura had said plainly, her voice barely above a whisper. And at the same time, Iruka thought the exact same thing.

Sakura didn't have to tell Iruka what exactly Naruto knew, because nothing else would unsettle the boy as much as the knowledge of his son would.

He had to turn the situation around, calm the boy down before it got out of hand.

"Naruto..." he began smoothly, keeping his place as the boy advanced to him.

"Don't Naruto me!"

Iruka jerked back.

Now people were casting glances their way. Some issued their families away at the sound of Naruto's raised voice, while others stayed where they were, pretending to read food labels while in actuality, they were dead set on seeing where this conversation led to.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the tone crushed Iruka. Years of trust melted before Iruka's eyes as Naruto glared at him, the sadness and mistrust the boy was emitting was almost too much for Iruka to bare.

He had to think of something.

"I couldn't..." Iruka responded rather sadly, yet his eyes stayed locked onto Naruto's, "I just wanted to keep you safe."

What a terrible thesis to build on. Keep him safe from what, humiliation, despair, early parenthood?"

He could say these things, but not here, not now, it wasn't the time nor the place. But Naruto was demanding answers, and Iruka was losing his ground. He was going to lose Naruto.

"To keep me safe? What the hell! I actually have a family, I actually have something that I love, someone that I love, and you chose to give them away, you chose to separate us! That's just plain selfish!"

Iruka stiffened, "Naruto...listen, let's take this somewhere else, I really can't_"

"Can't what," that voice was different, cool and silky, silky like...

"Kakashi-Sensei.." Sakura muttered.

There he was, as always, behind Naruto, further stealing the boy away from Iruka for ever. He assumed that the entire team had been notified, had somehow been made aware of Naruto's past.

And now Kakashi was against him, demanding the same explanation.

Iruka knew Kakashi dearly cared about his students, and to be exposed to such a past was enough to put the silver haired man on edge.

His words were calm, but his eyes shown with anger. Iruka was treading on ice.

"Don't you have a proper explanation, Iruka Sensei?" Kakashi continued, "why keep something this important from someone who is supposed to be this precious to you?"  
"I told you," Iruka repeated flatly, "to protect him."

Kakashi's presence began to enrage Iruka, and with the new pain welling in his chest, he fought to control his anger.

Kakashi's scowl was clearly visible under his mask.

"Perhaps something of this sort should be brought to the attention of the Hokage?" that was Yamato's voice, stern and demanding.

Damn, this wasn't going where Iruka wanted it to go.

"She already knows," Iruka replied harshly.

Naruto stilled, and Iruka knew he'd done wrong.

The atmosphere dropped to a deadly low, and the two jounin behind Naruto took a slight step back. The boy's shoulders were tense and his palms were bleeding from his nails puncturing the calloused skin.

"Iruka Sensei," Naruto spoke, calm, yet his voice was level and pained, "for more than half of my life, people hid the fact that I had a demon living inside of me, something that everyone hated me for, something that I hated myself for," his voice began to raise, a shrill barely contained, " and you, of all people, hide something that could have potentially made me happy? How could you, Iruka Sensei! I could've lived for something! Someone could've actually like me! Loved me! And you, like everyone else in the village, denied me that feeling for whatever selfish needs you have! Why Iruka, why! And don't you dare say, "To Keep me safe!"

Than what could he say? Naruto was at his breaking point, his voice was barely concealing tears.

"I have a son...I had a son," Naruto breathed, "Now he's gone, living with someone else...Iruka, how could you?"

Like gossip thrown to paparazi, an audible gasp was heard from the large crowd gathering around them.

Iruka paled...his head was definitely going to be on a platter. He was speechless, Naruto had done the unspeakable. He couldn't defend himself, he couldn't protect himself. Naruto was gone forever, no longer his.

Naruto growled as he resumed his pace, averting his eyes from Iruka and harshly hitting his former Sensei's shoulder. Sakura followed in suit, behind her Kakashi and Yamato.

Iruka made eye contact with none of them.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

By the time Iruka had arrived at his house, the pain in his chest was incredible. He was certain it was a panic attack. Everything felt like it was caving in, he couldn't breath, and as he staggered to the bedroom, his walking became erratic and unbalanced.

He felt like he was slipping away.

Quickly, he grabbed the door frame to his bedroom, knowing that if he couldn't collapse on his bed, he could certainly do so on his floor. Perhaps that would be more peaceful than breaking in a crowd full of noisy villagers.

Then it happened, quickly and silently.

The pain in his chest was no longer internal, but external. And as quickly as it had happened the first time, it happened a second, this time directly in his stomach area.

With his grasp loosening on the door frame, Iruka feel foward, body sliding off of the blade the pierced him.

"I'm sorry Sensei, but these are Danzo Sama's orders. Naruto will confide in you for more information regarding his child, and therefore, he'll delve further into Konoha's secrets regarding the conception. That just can't happen. No hard feelings," finalizing his apology to the bleeding body before him, Sai placed his blade back in it's holder as he began to exit the room. He would report to Danzo right away.

"T...ell N..aru..to i'm...so..sorry," his targeted managed to mutter. Sai flashed a fake smile as he turned to face the dying man, "It will be my pleasure Sensei."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(Comic Relief)

Team Taka walked in silence away from the battlefield, trying not to recount what Sasuke had exposed them to.

Sasuke walking particularly further behind his group.

His head was down as he attempted to rid his mind of the memories he'd accessed from Naruto's head.

What he'd seen was fucked up, and honestly, it had sickened him a great deal.

At least Iruka Sensei had been there, and he assumed Naruto could make the connection to the absence, realizing that Iruka had taken care of everything for the child.

Sasuke shivered, maybe this whole Sharingan thing just wasn't working, peering into people's heads usually had terrible consequences.

Infact, the other day, he fought that one ninja who'd...

He didn't want to remember that either, and unfortunately, he couldn't erase the memories.

Perhaps he should change profession, take Team Taka along with him?

Sasuke had always been interested in the circus, and ninja were supposed to be athletic anyway...

"Jugo, Karin, Suigetsu..." he spoke to them. The three turned around, their faces still somewhat pale, "What do you think about running away with the circus?"

"If it doesn't involve your sharingan and pregnant jinchuriki's," Suigetsu replied, "i'm in."

"Me too," Karin said rather sickly, "that was a little too weird."  
"Whatever you do, Sasuke," Juugo replied softly.

Sasuke nodded and caught up with them, another idea sparking in his mind, "Or how about outlaws?"

"I thought we were...outlaws," Suigetsu inclined, "I like the circus idea way better."

"What about journalism? We travel a lot, let's be journalist," Karin added, "since we're throwing idea's in anyway."  
"Hmm," Sasuke thought about, "It could work, we'll keep a low profile, new identities_"  
"Booooriing," Suigetsu interrupted, "pirates or circus performers, if it involves writing, i'm out!"

"Pirates! Where the hell did pirates come from!?" Karin exclaimed, "you're idea is dumber than mine."

"What about bookkeepers?" Juugo's suggestion silenced all, "it has to be something we all comply with, and something that fits Suigetsu's requirements. No pregnant jinchuriki's, no sharingan...I think it's a keeper."  
Sasuke shrugged, "We'll toss a coin."

"We don't have a coin," Karin pointed out.

Sasuke paused and looked up at the sunset, "We'll become robbers then."

**My teeth hurt, my face hurts, and i'm now terrified of the dentist office. I didn't know getting a filling for a cavity involved big ass shots. I didn't know it involved hours of pain afterwards.**

**I'll never eat sweets again.**

**I've always admired the sense of freedom associated with Team Taka. I tried my best to keep them all in character, and with Naruto's random outburst when he gets angry, I like to say I think i got him on check. Iruka was a little hard though, due to the fact that to say anything to defend himself meant death. There will be more speaking in the next chapter!**

**Anyway, hope you like it. Please tell me whatcha think about it, it took me a few days to write. THere will be two more chapters, so please hang in there. Tell me if you loved it, tell me if you hated it! Have a nice week, and God bless!**


	3. Fading

Sakura, in the span of her short life, had never felt this sort of sensation. Trembling, burning, a sensation that ate her up from the inside, and as she watched the scene before her unfold; Naruto yelling at Iruka, Yamato and Kakashi belittling her previous Sensei, the feeling only grew stronger.

She was fully aware, like the other's in Team Seven, what the situation with Naruto was now, the morbid situation that now revolved around him. Like always, he was the centerpiece of the puzzle, the Golden Boy, throwing his hate onto someone else.

This someone else happened to be Iruka, and Naruto was humiliating him.

Nervousness seized her, prevented her from moving forward, and fear of what other's would say to her clasped on her throat as she thought of a way to stop Naruto's accusation.

He didn't know Iruka's side of the story dammit! And knowing him, he couldn't wait to listen.

Sakura waged a way mentally, she wanted to shout, scream, do something to deter Naruto's senseless yelling. But her body wouldn't move, it was frozen like ice, the tension and anticipation overloading her.

And then, Naruto's voice resided, barely above a whisper, the moment no doubt meant to be personal, a moment that would sever Naruto's ties with his former Sensei forever.

The ice around Sakura melted, the moment was gone, and Naruto shoved past his Sensei, Yamato and Kakashi close by.

Sakura looked up at him, her expression pained and apologetic, however, Iruka looked at none of them.

When they were further away, in a less crowded part of Konoha, the sensation within Sakura flared again. She smiled to herself as she caught up to Naruto, and assumed that had Sai been around, that she would have been accused of faking her smile.

Rightly so, she thought.

Nevertheless, she moved through her two captains, satisfied that they were oblivious to her actual intentions. Knowing them, she supposed they believed she was going to comfort Naruto.

She prided herself in her deceptiveness.

She was going to do the exact opposite.

She tensed a little as she caught up to his side, his chakra so strong that it was almost physical. Nevertheless, she didn't back down. She marched to his side, a sad smile still plastered on her face.

"I can't believe him," Naruto said silently to Sakura, his voice low, "why...how could he not tell me?"

Sakura sighed and debated on what to say next, how to open her argument. Should she delve straight into her point, or should she respond with something that Naruto would enjoy hearing, that he would want to hear? Did it make sense to draw out the conversation in such a way that Naruto appreciated if Sakura was planning to speak her own opinion anyway?

"...Maybe," Sakura breathed, she was never good with words, "Maybe he did it for a reason, a good reason. I mean, Iruka Sensei wouldn't keep something this big from you for no reason. I think you were a little too harsh."

The atmosphere completely changed, and Sakura's smile faltered into a slight frown, Naruto's aroma thickened, and anger was seeping through his pores. Hr snorted. He'd expected Sakura to see his way, to be on his side with this one.

"Too harsh? How was I being too harsh? I trusted Iruka Sensei, he lied to me! How is that being too harsh? I was lonely, no family or anything, he kept away the only family I had! He was being selfish!" Naruto protested.

"The only family you had?" Sakura's voice raised on octave, the volume increasing just a smidge, "Naruto, Iruka was the first person in the village who accepted you, don't forget that."

Naruto kicked a rock in his path, the path to the Hokage tower.

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What could I expect...you're not like me," the words were automatic, almost emotionless, yet to Sakura, they held a deeper meaning, "you always had everything, you weren't lonely like me, so I shouldn't get mad at you for not understanding."

Sakura tried to reason with herself as her pace came to a sudden halt. Usually, had Naruto said something like this, she'd stay silent and follow him, but already, Yamato and Kakashi had past her and both cast curious looks at her.

Sakura threw any chance of civilized reasoning with Naruto out of the window, how dare he say something like that to her?

With a fiery step, Sakura passed through both Kakashi and Yamato, and hand outstretched and ready to claw onto Naruto's shoulder.

Roughly, she dug into the muscle of his shoulder and turned him around, a burning hand lifted in the air, ready to strike.

"What the hell Naruto!" her hand on his shoulder had snaked to his collar, and by now, she was holding him up, "Why do you keep on insisting that just because I'm not like you, not like Sasuke, not like any of you, that I can't understand what you've been through, why do I have to be different?!"

"Sakura, put Naruto down," Kakashi commanded swiftly, yet Sakura didn't listen. Her anger was getting the best of her.

Her hand was loaded with chakra, enough to send Naruto flying for miles if she sought it fit.

This wasn't playful Sakura, annoyed Sakura, this was Sakura intent on making Naruto suffer for whatever he'd said, and Kakashi and Yamato received just that.

She held her hand high, her eyes intently locked onto Naruto's blue ones, ready to strike at any given moment. An unspoken battle waged between the two, chakra was colliding with chakra, the killing intent leaking from both of them. Sakura was shaking, her palm ready to strike, ready to kill Naruto for what he'd just said, for how deeply he'd offended her.

She was no match for Naruto, but that didn't deter her perseverance.

Baffled, Kakashi stood shocked, she even glanced at him, she'd ignored him completely. This was a side of Sakura that Kakashi had never seen, and due to that, he had precautions. Kakashi knew too well that nInja could click at any given moment.

Sakura was no exception, and Naruto was in danger.

Her hand was quickly seized by Yamato, who no doubt harbored the same fear as Kakashi.

The situation was far from over, even with Sakura seized.

Meanwhile Naruto elaborated on what was happening.

So, just like Iruka, she was going to betray him too? Some friend she turned out to be.

"Just go Sakura," Naruto sneered, "I don't understand why you're even blowing up over this anyway, you're just like everyone else, and i am right. You don't understand."

Sakura yanked her hand away from Yamato's firm hold, "Whatever, i'm sorry that i'm not outstanding enough to be noticed by you, Naruto, that i'm just a plain Sakura Haruno, not a legend or anything of the sort. Guess that's how Iruka feels, huh? Well, whatever, bye Naruto, for good, you have enough friends to replace my absence, stronger and more "understandable". And one more thing. If you had to raise a son, if you were burdened, even if you were assisted with taking care of a child, could you be the ninja you are today?"

Sakura didn't even look at the three as she left, her fist were cleched and she was trembling. She continued her stride, she needed to cool off, go punch a tree or something.

She'd just lost her "best-friend" and didn't feel like talking to anyone else that consisted of the Rookie 9 or Guy's team. They'd just chastise her on the situation, most likely take Naruto's side and accuse her temper of getting the best of her. Perhaps she'd speak to Iruka Sensei? They'd both been practically abandoned by Naruto (though Sakura wanted it just as much as Naruto did), and Iruka did look really down afterwards. Naruto was closer to him than he was to Sakura, almost all he had, and the effect of losing him was likely greater than it was to Sakura.

She'd go check on him, see how he was doing and maybe talk to Tsunade later.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

Surprises and bad news were things that Tsunade had learned to alter her lifestyle around. Happiness for her was a privilege, earned through trial and error, easily shifted and easily taken away. For her, happiness used to be personal, best kept to the recess of her mind, of fear that if the world knew she was happy, she'd be denied the privilege all over again.

Orochimaru, Dan, and Nawakai were all victims of her happiness, she practically showered them with it, and slowly, they completely faded. Orochimaru just wasn't gone yet, but he was fading.

However, since becoming the Hokage, Tsunade learned her happiness was best left to the good people of her village, for her happiness was their reassurance. Like the Will of Fire, she insured it into every civilian and ninja alike. Just as her happiness mattered to them, theirs mattered ten fold to her.

With that being said, Naruto spilling his guts out to Tsunade, recounting the mission, the meeting with Iruka, and the argument with Sakura in a matter of moments had not only unsettled, but zapped her happiness down to an all time low.

Sasuke Uchiha was an idiot, and Naruto even more so to jump to conclusions without coming to her first. Yamato and Kakashi were just as ignorant as Naruto as well, allowing him to make such a scene in public.

She kept her anger contained though, and instead focussed on the situation at hand, the possibility that Iruka was dead, and the mere fact that Naruto knew that he had a son and wanted to know more. Her eyes had already betrayed her the instant the blond ninja had spoken his accusations, he could see the shift in Tsunade's eyes.

Now was time to act.

"Naruto," she spoke sternly in order to penetrate his babbling, at the same time, she searched for the right words to say.

HIs head turned towards her, his eyes ablaze. He had every right to know, but he needed to understand Iruka's position too, Sakura's side too.

But words wouldn't reach the boy now, Tsunade could see that he was doing everything he could not to spill over, not to lash out. Self Control wasn't something Naruto usually practiced, the effort impressed her.

"Yamato, Kakashi, leave."  
If they wanted to stay, had any protest, Tsunade assumed they did so in their momentary pause and anxious glances cast towards each other, nevertheless, they left quickly, closing the door behind them.

"Would you like to see him?" Tsunade inclined, "if so, would you allow me to explain things to you? Explain what and why it happened?"

Naruto paused, obviously taken aback by the question thrown at him so suddenly. Gulping, Naruto's eyes softened at the thought of the life that was taken from him, cringing slightly at the gruesome memories Sasuke had unlocked.

The circumstances of his son's conception may be impure, so Naruto wanted to see him before Tsunade spilled the beans.

"..Sure," blandly, it rolled off of his tongue, too many thoughts colliding in his mind at once. He didn't know what emotion to display, how exactly to feel. He supposed that would be determined at the exact moment he met the boy.

"Follow me," Tsunade said silently.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

Sakura had assumed that after Sasori's poison nearly killed Kankuro and she was the one chosen to heal him, that she would have gained a stronger sense of self confidence when it came to healing the near dead.

Different battles, attacks on the village had confirmed this, at least she thought, faceless ninja and citizens had come to her for help, many near death and barely clinging to life, and always she'd been able to heal them, to save them.

But why now, when her hands hovered over her Sensei's bloody stomach, her body shook like a child caught in a blizzard.

Iruka was pale, very pale, his normal tan color melting away.

Already, the stomach acid had begun to corrode the sensitive tissues that made up the main organs. The wound on his chest had been somewhat healed, only enough for her to direct her attention to the stomach wound though, no way were either of them fully healed. The stomach was the one she was most concerned about though, it was killing Iruka slowly and painfully.

Sai lay amongst rubble in the kitchen, Sakura assumed, at least that's where she'd last seen him after she punched him at the "crime scene", now all of her attention was dedicated to her former Sensei, trying to keep him alive until her clone made it to the hospital where more medics could be found, and to the Hokage Tower, to alert Tsunade about the current situation.

She didn't want to lose him, not Iruka Sensei, but the feeling of despair and defeat were at their highest.

Already his eyes were foggy, his mouth slightly agape as a steady stream of blood seeped through. The floor was a bloody mess, Sakura's knees were submerged in it, and already she'd ripped his shirt in order to get a better look at the wound.

It was a nasty wound, nasty wound. Two areas had been punctured, and the skin was red and irritated around them, she was doing her best to fix his stomach, but she'd need medical assistance, medicines and equipment to continue. She could only stabilize him now, and she hoped that help was on the way.

She felt she was losing him, that no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much chakra she poured into his battered body, that her Sensei wouldn't make it.

It scared her, but nevertheless, she continued to push chakra into the wound.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

They'd traveled several flights of stairs below the Tower. The walk was quiet and Tsunade only spoke when they walked into hidden room. Secret village records, as Naruto had gathered, were stored inside of of many cabinets and files within the room, many locked with a strong chakra seal. It wasn't a big room, as large as Tsunade's office, the cabinets were stacked on the wall, a large table in the center and a dangling light overhead. There were no windows.

Tsunade grabbed walked towards the cabinet furthest of the door and fumbled through it, Naruto stayed by the door as she did so.

She was muttering as she fiddled through it, satisfied only when she pulled a small scroll out of the cabinet, read it, and placed it back inside. Though, her demeanor changed slightly, from tense to worried, however, she returned to tense second later.

Whatever she'd been looking at clearly wasn't meant for Naruto, but he had no doubt it had something to do with the situation.  
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

By the time Naruto and Tsunade had left the room and returned to Tsunade's office, the staff was in a frenzy. Apparently a ninja, an important ninja had been seriously injured by a higher ranked nina, at least that's what Naruto had gathered from a bumbling Shizune, medics and ninja were running around like cockroaches trying to find Tsunade and steal her away into the infirmary.

It was pure chaos, treason had been committed, and apparently the elders were doing nothing about it. The medical staff had already reported it to the council, a young medic with blood staining his hands had hastily told Tsunade.

He'd left, however not without casting a sympathetic look at Naruto.

Sakura had been the biggest surprise, and angrily, she shoved Naruto as she ran through the doorway, yelling for him to stay out of the way. She'd pulled Tsunade behind her desk and towards the window, muttering something important to her. Naruto guessed that by the hisses and the tone of her whispering that it was very important, yet he did a good job at glaring at her when she walked by, and she did the same. She disappeared soon after, leaving Naruto to Tsunade, who rested her hand on her desk, her back towards Naruto.

The tension was thick, hanging in the air like humidity.

Her shoulders suddenly sagged, and she breathed an exaggerated sigh.

"Tsunad_" Tsunade held up a hand and silenced him, obviously wanting him to take no place in the **newly arisen problem.**

"Naruto, I can only take you there, not back. I have important matters to attend to. Don't spend too much time there either, it's better that you don't even interact, "She turned around, her eyes intently staring into his, "it will only cause problems if you do. Let's be quick now, hurry and follow me."

Standing by the door, Naruto jumped as she walked beside him with deadly speed, her heels clicking as she walked down the long corridors of the Hokage tower. With a sigh, Naruto followed quickly after her, a frenzy of ninja still running in the corridor.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

**School started, and by far, Junior year is the hardest year ever, and I have like three new teachers, that always makes me nervous. Currently, i'm so fed up with the manga, the plot and the writing is terrible, things aren't making sense, ugh...i'm babbling again. Also, i saw Rise of the Guardians, I loved it :D Maybe i'll start writing for that. Anyway, sorry for such a late update, how long has it been anyway? I just had a lot on my plate, i'll try to update soon, but no promises. Naruto will see his son in the next chapter, and things will start to wrap up. Anyways, I don't own Naruto, never will. Tell me what you think, be honest :D Have a nice week and God bless. **


	4. Under the Stars

Under the Stars

Well, this was different…cleaner, quieter, more spacious, more inviting. The civilian section of the village were all of these things. No longer were ninja jumping from tree to tree, no longer were the streets crowded, no, not here. People walked on the sidewalks, bags in hand, clothes free of kunai or anything else pertaining to duty. The neighborhoods were different as well.

Houses, not apartments, medium sized houses with green yards.

He'd memorized the address and what the house should look like, Tsunade had left him the moment they entered the civilian area. Apparently, the patient and the circumstances surrounding them had been important, so important that Tsunade had to leave Naruto. He hardly cared though, he wanted to do this alone. The sun was almost gone, it would be dark soon, he needed to finish this quickly.

OOOOOOOO

He'd found himself standing in front of a black door that belonged to a grey bricked house. The number above the door matched the number Tsunade had given him, the description, though shadowed by the darkening sky, matched Tsunade's as well.

A stiff fist hovered mere inches in front of the door, and a mental war waged within Naruto's mind.

Knock….don't knock….knock...don't knock..knock...knock...Knock.

He jumped at the actions of his own body. He hadn't expected to knock, and he hadn't expected to find himself doing it again, this time faster and harder, almost impatient. This thin wood, wood he could easily kick down, was now the only physical thing keeping him from his son.

Whispers, he could he whispers from the other side of the door, uncertain and almost afraid.

Slowly, he leaned his head on the thick wood, listening to whom it may be.

"Mom and dad are out, who the hell knocks on the door at this time of night?" It was a girls voice, older, maybe around his age.

"Don't answer it! Let's just go to our rooms, it could be a robber, let's go!" another voice said, a boy's voice, he sounded around Konohamaru's age, maybe a little younger.

"Mommy and Daddy said no answer! To our rooms, go to our rooms!"that was him, it had to be. That was the voice that sent Naruto on near rampage.

He had already been frustrated, and this only fueled his frustration more. However, Naruto was careful with his anger. He knew for certain that yelling would not allow him entrance into the house, but against his better judgment, he did just that.

"I'M NOT A DAMN ROBBER NOW OPEN THE DOOR BEFORE I BREAK IT DOWN!"

OOOOOO  
The color was slightly returning to his cheeks, only slightly. Overall, Iruka was still a sickly pale, too pale for Tsunade's liking. His color would return in a week tops, but he'd be expected to wake up any time before that. Tsunade had already taken it into her hands to find substitutes at the Academy, Iruka would be out for at least a month until his wounds healed and he'd no longer have to be assisted.

Glossy eyes stared back into Tsunade's brown ones, and already, she assumed that he'd drifted off into a dormant state, exhaustion and blood loss finally taking their toll. She'd done what she could, fixed the wounds and stopped the damage in its place, leaving room for healing. The wounds had been deep and accurate, and Iruka was lucky Sakura found him when she did. The medical team did an excellent job at sustaining Iruka's life, and their efforts combined had saved him.

It would be a tragedy to lose someone like Iruka.

He'd been cleaned, changed, and moved to another room. His clothes had been too heavy, they'd put him in a light hospital gown and pants and sterilized his new room. His old room was tarnished in blood, stained by the substance. The workers shared a similar fate as the room, their clothes stained as well, but in the end, when the healing was successful, they all "toasted" to the teacher's health.

Tsunade deeply wanted to participate in the ceremony, however, Sai was a more important matter.

Orders, however, were orders, and she could not punish the boy for carrying out a mission given to him by Danzo. Though she'd known others who were exposed to the sensitive information would disagree with her choice, she knew that had Iruka had a say, he'd let Sai off with a lecture about thinking for oneself and the additional topic of self esteem. It pained her, however, to see a tool like that walk freely out of her office, ready to strike again at moments notice. Iruka's life, his days, as far as Tsunade could tell, had been numbered the moment Naruto bluttered his secret out into public.

Honestly, there was no telling when ROOT would finally take him out.

She'd keep an eye on Sai, but that was all she could do.

Sighing at the thought of her corrupted village, she headed out of the hospital room in search of the blond ninja.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He'd never been so angry before, so jittery and so exited.

His emotions, as dense as a ball, had been locked up since the moment he found out about the truth, and now he was attempting to prevent that very ball from wildly bouncing around, scaring the already petrified guest sitting across from him at the table..

His fingers bounced nervously on the dark wooden surface. His host had sent the two other boys away before Naruto entered, and now she sat directly across from him, hands in lap and staring intently.

Though her expression remained calm, Naruto could tell that she was scared out of her wits, and honestly, she had every right to be.

He'd terrified them and he knew it. It wasn't justified, knocking ferociously at night, yelling at the top of his lungs, but he was here now, just feet away from his son.

It was unnatural, this feeling, almost as if his body was wavering in and out of "auto-pilot".

Nothing felt so real, so surreal. In fact, this all felt like a cruel illusion, like it would be snatched right before him in mere seconds.

But nothing had happened yet, no "release" had been spoken, and no sudden surge of chakra had jolted him awake from a happy nightmare.

Now with little control, Naruto managed to maintain a calm demeanour as he spoke.

"I'm sorry for yelling," he apologized, "It's just...there's someone here i'd like to see."

The girl, her dark eyes staring intently into his, began to speak, never breaking contact, "Naruto...right, i've only heard of you," she spoke, a little excited and fidgety, "I mean we live in the same village, but you're like a legend…but that's not why you're here, I don't think. You're here to see _my_ brother, right?"

Naruto tensed at the tone she took while regarding her brother. How she spoke of him already, it was so...possessive. However, Naruto, despite the inclining sense to back down and leave, reminded himself this was his son, and he wasn't going to let an implied threat scare him away.  
"I just want to see him...I_since he's_since he's my son…" and suddenly, the words bore so much responsibility, and Naruto felt a heavy burden weigh his heart, only to be temporarily relieved when he realized that he wasn't actually caring for his son, that he's just found out about him.

"I know...but Iruka said," she paused when she noticed a flash in Naruto's eyes, but quickly resumed, "He said he'd bring you when you were….you know, older? And adult i guess, no offense, but you look like my age, like sixteen. And i'm not old enough to raise a son, and I...don't think you are either."

And sixteen did she look. Long dark hair cradled her pale face, dark grey eyes, wide and curious looked directly at Naruto, as if he was a god-like figure, something she'd never seen.

A civilian teenager.

Naruto blinked, suddenly realizing that the two lived in completely different worlds, and that her eyes were missing something that his eyes had been forced to harbor for so many years.

That missing things was hate. She was a civilian, and for the most part, spared the atrocities of ninja life, and Naruto only assumed that her siblings had been spared the same demise.

And with some hope and a sudden realization, that meant his son had been spared the hate and fear that the village would have bestowed upon him had they realized his linage.

"I mean , if you want to see him you can," she called out, snapping Naruto out of his trance-like state, "he's just three, so maybe it'll be a good thing...it's just not how Iruka told us, but hey, i guess things change right?"

_Iruka_...Naruto had been terrible to him, blind to the older man's decision. Now, he felt like crap because of it. He never should've yelled at his Sensei like that, he should've sought to find the truth rather than just putting Iruka on the spotlight in public like that. He tried not to remember the look of hurt and confusion on his Sensei's face, tried not to remember the eerie silence that followed soon afterwards.

He hoped Iruka was alright, and right after all of this was over, Naruto promised himself he'd give his Sensei a bone crushing hug as he begged for forgiveness, and he'd take Iruka to Ichiraku's and pay for both tabs himself.  
"Um...you're zoning out again_Do you want to see Chris?" she spoke again, waving her hand in front of him to gain his attention.  
Naruto blinked at the strange name, "Chris?"  
"Well, yeah...that's his name, he kinda looks like you," she chuckled, "I'll call him from his room."

Naruto stiffened, but nodded, the tapping stopping immediately.

She stood up and inhaled a large breath of air, letting it all out in one instant, "CHRISTOPHER!"  
The anticipation, the moment of silence, and the small footsteps that came following afterwards practically killed Naruto.

The house itself was casual, and Naruto sat in the living room the entryway to the hallway only a few feet away from him.

Naruto refused to look at him, unsure of what he'd see, fearful that he'd see his own reflection staring back at him.

Obviously, the girl could sense the tension.

"Um...why don't we go outside, it's more spacious, prettier_The backyard that is," she said in an attempt to ease the mood.

OOOOOOO

The sky had been painted a mournful purple, small stars glimmering in the distance, light years away, staring down at the inhabitants of the tiny planet. Naruto was thankful, his vision was somewhat obscured, however, being a ninja came with permanent night vision. It would only be a minute until his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him.

Naruto stood further in the yard, looking at the sky, intaking the beautiful scene above him. It was as if an artist had painted the very image themselves, took care into every aspect put into the sky, from the shining of the stars, to the eeriness of the moon.

He could hear their voices a little further behind him on the porch. When they went outside, Naruto went ahead to stand in the center of the yard, meanwhile, the others sat on a bench on the porch, their figures dimly lit by the light hovering above them.

There had been another, and when Naruto had finally gained the courage to look towards his son, he saw the entire family. Yes, there was the girl, hair dark, skin pale and wearing a plan house dress, than there was a boy. He was younger, about nine or ten, wild hair, dark skin and raggedy pants and a white shirt. His green eyes were wide and confused when he'd met Naruto, and immediately his hand grasped that of the younger boy's beside him, Christopher. Those green eyes looked up at Naruto, practically asking, "You're not taking my brother away, are you?"

Naruto was shocked by the appearance of his own son. Red hair? That was different, and he shuddered at the thought of that hair not coming from his "side of the family", of that hair coming from the "father".

The situation was getting weirder already. Other than the hair, he looked like Naruto all the way, minus the whiskers.

It was weird, but Naruto felt a twinge of pride knowing he'd helped create something that looked like that, and he had to admit it, his son was cute, even with the hair.

The talking ceased suddenly, and Naruto swore he heard a "creak" noise alerting him that there was one less person on the bench.

Naruto could already sense the chakra coming near him, though faint, it was unmistakably part of him.

There were crunches on the grass, he could hear them close behind him, stumbly and un organized, almost as if a small child had been skipping or hopping.

He was so nervous and so tense, he needed to relax, needed to breathe. He'd been waiting for this moment, fighting for this moment, so why, now when his son was feet away from him, could he not be relaxed, could he not peel his eyes from the scene unfolding above him.

A small hand tugged on his pant leg, hard.

Naruto gulped, and with every inch of willpower, turned his head away from the moon, and down towards the flaming redhead below him.

Blue eyes stared at him, soft and wide, kind and forgiving.  
Then he spoke, his voice shrill and high at first, but with every word, Naruto's ears grew accustomed to the sweet sound, "Hi," he greeted, "my name is Chris! I am jus' tree ye_"

And the ball dropped, the emotions spilled, and within a second, Naruto had scooped Christopher into his arms and held the boy to his his chest, eyes spilling with tears, and sobbing wildly.

Chris was perplexed, and Naruto could tell, but he didn't care, he only hugged the boy tighter. He laughed, cried, and screamed all at the same time. He inhaled the scent of the boy's hair, inhaled the years, the three short years he'd missed with him, inhaled everything regarding Chris.

And though the void wasn't filled completely, with his boy in his arms, close to his hard, it was nearly full.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

Silent, and undetected, a small mouse, composed of ink and stowed silently into the hospital room in search of it's target.

This ink it was composed of was different. It was potent and lethal, a substance created by Torune himself. No cure, no antidote, just a slow and prolonged death. The substance itself would go unnoticed, which worked to Danzo's plan.

The mouse found its target, crawling onto the be and to the mouth, where it seeped into slightly parted lips.

The task was complete and the deed was done.

Umino Iruka's days were truly numbered.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

**Don't worry guys, there will be a conversation in the next chapter =D I'm thinking about two to three more chapters. I'm glad so many people like it, so please please please REVIEW! It's taken me days to work on this, and honestly, i've neglected a lot to this, so please review. Sorry for any spelling mistakes, there shouldn't be much though, I proofread. Anyway, I don't own Naruto. Check out my other stories though, I think you'll like them. As always, have a nice week and God Bless :D **


	5. NOT ABANDONED

AN: I am not abandoning this story. I know that's what a lot of you think, but trust me, not this one and not my most recent others. I've just got a lot on my plate at the moment, and i'll try to have this one updated by Tuesday or Wednesday, in fact it may end then, i'm already working on the chapter. So please don't lose hope, i'm still with you! Just got tons of school work :D Anyway, have a nice week and God bless.

Lidsworth


	6. Limbo

**AN: This chapter is supposed to be very emotional. I borrowed lines from the Goo Goo Doll's song, "Name", we'll see if you can catch it. It's a little confusing at the beginning, so please bear with me, don't give up, it makes sense. Anyway, the story is coming to an end soon, preferably the next chapter. So soak all of this up. Please review, that' shows you're actually reading and I actually have a reason to be writing. This is proofread by me, so there should be little to no mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

A jolt to the heart burdened him greatly as he walked further into the ever-changing brightness that surrounded them, with each step an additional heaviness added itself to his body.

Iruka's breath was erratic and uneven, his pace even more so. Not only had this light rendered him blind, but it carried an amount of uncertainty with it.

Minutes ago, he had been in his house. Then, that boy intruded, Sai had taken him out. After that, Iruka's mind drifted off on his own, and now here he was, surrounded by blinding light, walking a painful stride into nothingness.

He desperately wanted to rest. His breathing weighed him down and strained his heart, he needed to find a place to rest. But with this brightness, where on earth could he sit? On the ground he walked on? But would It not disappeared in a matter of moments like it had done so before, would it not rearrange itself so that he was reduced to a mere speck floating in this whiteness? Was he to keep walking, despite the fact that his body was so close to breaking?

He needed help. But who in this void could offer it? How long had he traveled alone, forced his body to work past exhaustion? Resting on the ground meant it changing at any second, so he was to continue forward? Fear suddenly flooded him. A thought crossed him, would he be forced to walk alone in this void forever? Was this death?

He began to think it was. Regrets pierced through the void like a needle to a balloon, memories rushed at him altogether, things he didn't say, things he couldn't say, things he wanted to say…He saw Naruto and their most recent argument, he saw the people in the missions room, people he'd been rude to, he'd seen the students at the Academy and thought of the things he'd never be able to tell them, he saw his argument with Kakashi during the Chunin exams, the anger radiating off of him clouding his vision in the form of dark red. Then he saw his life as an active ninja, saw the mutiny he'd caused with his own hands, he'd seen his turning point to remain a chunin. He could see the blood of his enemies, the very image caused his stomach to church much like the guts of those he'd decimated.

Suddenly, happier memories began to pierce through the red. He'd seen Naruto as a child, saw how the boy practically shadowed him. He relieved his time spent with his parents and felt the joy and the happiness he'd been subjected. He relieved his time living near the coast, remembered the texture of each glossy shell he collected, remembered the feeling of the dull brown sand squishing in between his toes, remembered the hidden sun shining down on him.

He'd seen his old friends. Kotetsu, Izumo, Anko before she practically abandoned him after her "Orochimaru" incident, he'd seen Tsubaki and Mizuki.

Mizuki…what a terrible fate for him. Iruka assumed that since he might have been dying, that he'd finally see Mizuki again. He shuddered at the thought however.

Mizuki did bad things, surely he and Iruka would not be going to the same place. But Iruka, while active as a ninja, had done equally worse things. Though he killed for self-defense at times, at the end of the day, he still took a life. So why would his soul be spared?

"Iruka…"

As the images evaporated, the whiteness replaced their empty space. He whipped his head around, looking for the source of the distant voice.

"Iruka…over here…follow me."

But how, he couldn't see where he was going, he couldn't see where this voice was coming from. And to make matters worse, this physical pain was getting worse, as if a boost had been added to whatever ailment he'd had moments earlier.

"Damnet Iruka, don't use your eyes, use the one thing you've been so good at. Your heart, follow it and follow me."

Not only did this voice sound very familiar, but Iruka could pinpoint exactly who it was. Now a new set of questions bombarded his mind, and he felt himself wanting to shout them out.

"Idiot! Find me first, use your heart, just do it! I don't have all day, I'll answer your questions when you_"

"Mizuki?"

As if on queue, the whiteness around him greyed, molted like wet paint on a wall. The scene around him was surreal, nothing but blackness remained as the paint suddenly fell into oblivion below him. And as the walls had collapsed, so had the ground.

Iruka felt himself falling.

OOOOOO

He hadn't hit the ground as hard as he'd expected himself to, in fact, the landing was quite cushioned. The scenery around him was breathtaking. Below him was vibrant green grass, above him the sky was blue and clear, save for a few clouds that seemed rightfully there. The sun beckoned down on him, its rays gently warming his exposed face.

In the distance, he could hear birds chirping, and maybe far far away, he heard water running. He wanted to explore, wanted to run around and jump. In fact, he felt like a child again, youthful and curious. He supposed this was Heaven? It surely seemed like it, though he hadn't seen angels or anything he'd been taught he'd see. Perhaps they were hiding away somewhere. He'd only seen so much, and from his position on his back it was hard to look around.

So he began to move…except, he couldn't move.

The panic had settled back in when he'd tried again to move his body only to realize that he had very little control of it. The exhaustion kicked back in, the pain magnified, and Iruka suddenly reminded himself of an injured shinobi left alone to die on the battlefield.

Certainly, this was hell.

"I'd think again," the all too familiar voice called from above him.

How he had gotten there, Iruka wasn't entirely sure of. But he was certain that above him stood his old friend, a cocky smirk glued to his face as always, and staring down dispointly at Iurka.

Iruka was at a loss for words.

"Mizuki…that voice, it was you?" bewildered, Iruka looked up at his old friend. He thought this would be different, that if he ever saw Mizuki again that he'd surely think differently of him, that he'd hate him for trying to kill Naruto. But all mal intent melted at the shining figure standing above him.

"Yep," Mizuki replied, "that was me and boy, do we have a lot to talk about."

"Like what? Like the fact that I can't move and that my body hurts, or…or considering you're here, that I may be in hell?" The sudden burst of anger internally startled him. He hadn't meant to blow up on Mizuki, but his current situation deeply upset him.

"You're not in hell, far from it actually," Mizuki paused for a while, thinking of words to sum the current situation up, "more like...purgatory, limbo."

"Limbo?" Iruka inquired, "what do you mean by that?"  
"Your life, Iruka, it's on the line. You have one foot in the grave, literally, that's why you can still feel pain, but you're not like a spirit, angel or whatever you'd want to call it, that's why you can't move. You're stuck in between."

Iruka sighed. He had contemplated on yelling at Mizuki a little bit more, yelling at him until his screamed himself hoarse. But where would it get him? At least he was actually laying on something solid, something physical, no longer a spec floating in nothingness. The pain was numbing, fluctuating from one limb to another.

"How long will I be like this?"

"Until you live or die."

"Do you know which one it is_I mean, do you know if i'll live or die?" Mizuki, most likely tired of standing, sat down and laid beside Iruka, staring up into the beautiful sky.

"Yes, I do," solemnly, he replied, closing his eyes as he said so.

"You can't tell me, can you?" Iruka inclined, turning his head towards his friend.

"Oh, no, I can tell you," in a chiding manner, Mizuki answered Iruka's question, "But that's up to you."

The air suddenly shifted around the couple, but Iruka doubted anything spectacular was going to happen. He believed, however, that the sudden tension resulted in their clashing of thoughts, his clashing of emotions. The answer, his fate was just a person away from him, a whisper to the ear. Death or life, the very knowledge could have such an impact on Iruka, positive or negative. He breathed. If he was dead, then what was the point of delaying the news, what was the point of having false hope?

Iruka closed his eyes, preparing for the worse. With a silent yet stern voice, Iruka issued the command.

"Tell me."

OOOOOOOO

After his breakdown, he'd finally been allowed into the house. The other two left them alone, both retreated to their own rooms. Meanwhile, Chris took Naruto to his.

"Whiskers! These_these books, these are mine!" Chris exclaimed joyfully as he toured Naruto around his room, standing in the center, pointing things out "stuffed animals_MINE!"

Naruto couldn't' stop himself from giggling at his new nickname as his son gave him a personal tour of his room. This was all too real to be true. The room was different from Naruto's childhood room. The walls weren't peeling or lacking paint, instead, bright ocean blue laced the four walls, pictures of his family hung scattered against them, as well as various cut outs from different animals.

There was a bed, a small one with a sea shell bed sheet, a shelf beside it with eons of childrens books stacked neatly in the spaces, and stuffed toys scattered messily on the wooden floor.

A rustling noise broke Naruto's concentration as the redhead racked his small fingers through his head, "Yeah...my room. Do you like it!"

Naruto smiled at his son and stretched out a hand, beckoning the boy to come closer. Wobbling slightly, Chris made his way towards Naruto, a goofy grin stretching across his pale features.

Chris fell into Naruto's legs, grabbing them to steady himself and looking up at the blond.

"You like it?"

Acceptance for such a menial this….Naruto wondered if this acceptance was a quality of an actual childhood, not one spent submerged in hate. He found it funny. At Chris' age, he sought social acceptance, but Chris, he only wanted Naruto to like his room.

"Yeah," Naruto ruffled the red locks, "I like it a lot."

Chris giggled as Naruto did this, stretching his neck just slightly in order to gave Naruto more space to rub his head. Naruto could feel tiny hands fisting into his pant leg, just leaning in to get more.

Naruto sighed, he wouldn't be here for much longer. He still had a lot to do, apologizing to Sakura and Iruka Sensei being two of the most crucial. He'd already been here with Chris for too long. He did what he was trying to avoid.

He grew attached to him, he didn't want to part from him. He knew, he was certain that this would happen, the very thought remained in the back of his head the moment he'd made his decision to visit Chris. He just wanted to see his son before he knew the truth, before he knew why he was conceived and how. He thought that if he didn't, his image of the boy would be tarnished before he even met him. Now he was beginning to regret it, regret visiting him, regret being attached to him.

Naruto supposed this was one of the few situations he took a logical approach to. Seeing his son meant leverage for his enemies, for the Akatsuki, for anyone else who wanted him or the Kyuubi. He loved Chris, he wanted to live with Chris, be with him forever, but he didn't want him dead. He didn't want to see his son's lifeless eyes staring back at him, gurgling blood as his body lay on the ground, cut into pieces.

He exerted the thought from his brain, he'd protect him even if he could not be with him.

He didn't want to see him hated either, shunned or avoided.

A feeling arose in his stomach, guilt and sadness condensed into one ball, making it hard for him to breathe, tears obscured his vision.

Chris quizzically looked at the boy above him, again wondering why he began to cry again. Naruto smiled though, through the tears, rubbing at his eyes quickly. "Whiskers, why do you cry all the time?

"Because," Naruto sniffled a bid, pulling himself together again, "I'm just sad you know, I have to go soon."

"Go, but why! You just got here!" Chris screamed, "I like you!"

"I like you too Chris," Naruto began, kneeling down so he met Chris' level, "But i've got some friends I have to take care of now. I accidentally said something mean to them, I hurt their feelings_Do you know what it means to hurt someone's feeling?"

"Uh-huh, when you are mean and they cry_Did someone hurt your feeling?!" Chris suddenly exclaimed, "cause you cried!"

He shook his head, "No, no one hurt my feelings, I hurt theirs and i'm sad because of it, I have to go apologize."

Chris starred, not sure of what to make of it. He was so young, the exact opposite of Naruto. Naruto himself had grown up way too fast with nothing to believe in. Chris wasn't like him, Chris was innocent. Naruto had no intention of tainting his son with his words. He spared Christ the details.

Firmly gripping Chris' shoulders, Naruto looked the boy in the eyes and told him something he'd sure his own father what have told him had he been alive.

"Listen Chris...things, they're going to get hard...okay. Life will be sorta...you know, unfair, but you just have to get past all that. People are going to be mean to you, treat you like scum, but you just have to ignore them and rise up against them…" he sighed, taking a deep breath of resignation, he'd never see this boy again, "and I love you...I love you a lot Chris_" "Love you too, Whiskers! I love you like I love that weird guy with the line on his face...he hangs like a spider upside down, funny!"

"Oh, Iruka Sensei...I love him too, he has a lot of love to give, doesn't he Chris?"

Chris nodded with a smile on his face, " He smells good too, and he's soft and he looks like a girl! But he looks like a pretty girl!"

"Yeah," Naruto giggled, hugging Chris to silence the boy, burying his head in the mess of red in order to hide his newly formed tears, "that's Iruka Sensei for you."  
"Are you going to have to leave too, like he leaves all the time?" Chris sounded saddened by the prospect, "I don't want you to leave, i will be sad. I love you Whiskers!"

Naruto breathed in slowly, he was about to lose it.

"I...I love you...t..too Chris, but I have to… but I have to go," he gathered himself, steadily standing away from Chris, avoiding the boys gaze.

It would be too painful.

OOOOOO

He left the small family waving at him as he departed down their sidewalk, out into the darkness of the night. With a powerful crouch, he fathered his chakra into the soles of his feet and jumped away. He'd made his departure as smooth as he could make it, lingering only intensified the sadness of the action. Naruto didn't need that now, he just needed to apologize to Sakura and Iruka, Iruka first though.

He'd hurt him the most, yet felt himself thanking his Sensei whenever he laid his eyes on Chris. He prided Iruka for making the decision, making such a heart wrenching decision. He was selfish to assume that Iruka wanted to split them up.

Clearly, he'd done if for Naruto's own good. Because now, Naruto's insides were tearing away. To be with his son, he'd be giving up his dream of being a ninja. He'd be giving up everything he knew, everything he lived for.

"Thanks Sensei," the mantra repeated itself over and over again in Naruto's brain. Iruka had done what Naruto would not be able to, and he publicly tormented him for it. He felt like an ass, a jerk. He could fully understand if Iruka never wanted to see him again, and though the thought of it hurt, it was something he'd have to live with.

Already he was nearing his Sensei's home, an apology already thought out.

OOOOO

The door was unlocked, lopsided as if someone had carelessly left it open. As Naruto crept inside, the distinct smell of blood filled his nostrils. The feeling of urgency ignited in his blood as he took off to his Sensei's room, praying that his words hadn't driven his Sensei to his demise.

He gasped when beside him, rubble had accumulated into a huge pile, a hole the size of a person pierced through the wall.

He hadn't even gone far when he noticed the puddle, almost dry and rusty brown. Blood, it was defiantly blood, and by the feeling creeping up his spine, he already knew whose it was.

Without further hesitation, Naruto turned towards the direction of the Hokage.

**Well, the end was rushed.**

**My computer is broken...so i'll be updating less frequently. This goes for all of my stories. Initially, I had planned for this to be longer, but, meh...this is what I could give you. Anyway, what are your thoughts on the Naruto manga, I think it's going downhill. Currently, i'm searching for a new fandom.**

**Btw, I wasn't proud of this chapter, it was rushed kinda, at least towards the end. I hope the emotions I intended to capture remained within the text. Anyway, reviews, please review, if you review, i'll update. So for those of you whom favorite this story or put it on your alert, if you want me to update PLEASE REVIEW! I WANT FEEDBACK OR ELSE I DON'T UPDATE! so, please review, tell me what you think. Have a nice week, pray for America and that we come to a decision, and God bless. **


	7. Remember Me

**AN: (beta'd) Finally, this is the last and final chapter. I debated which way i'd end this, and really, there were tons of ways I could have. But, as of now, I see the ending more fitting for the title, see it as a bit of irony. Again, if you favorited it, read it, alerted it, etc., REVIEW IT PLEASE! Even if it's to say, "I hated this, it was a piece of s! #. Sure, i'll fire you up, but at least you reviewed, and even if you just want to say, "I love it," something soft and sweet, i'll enjoy it =D Also, when/if you review, i'm not a stranger to critique, so if there's something you can tell me to make my writing better, then i'll enjoy it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it:D**

**Also, to this person, " C4critic 10/3/13 . chapter 1**

**...Dafuq? I mean a boy getting pregnant? seriously, What the hell?! Even though it's just a story, That's just wrong... seriously it ruins a really good story..."**

**You reviewed just because you hated it, not because you wanted to criticize. I'll analyse your review and your absense of logic. In my summary, I have an Mpreg warning. So, with that being said, anyone who reads this story reads it knowing that it's mpreg, however, that's your biggest problem with it? If you knew it was mpreg, then why read it? IT wasn't as if I surprised you. Secondly, it ruined a good story? Going back to the whole mpreg point, THERE WOULD BE NO STORY IF IT WAS NOT MPREG! Obviously, you knew what it was going to be, so there was no way it could, "ruin a good story," if a the "good story" had mpreg in the summary. Honestly, were you just looking for something to hate on?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO**

Remember Me

"Beep...beep...beep."

With each constant and piercing beep, Naruto felt as if a white hot knife delve deeper and deeper into his already battered soul. The image before him chilled him to the very bone.

Nearly completely cloaked in white, Naruto blankly stared at the figure that hardly reassembled his Sensei. He refused to associate this thinning and paling body with that of his vibrant Sensei. Iruka raided joy and love off of his very being, but not this thing that Naruto stared at, not this body that continued to wane away before his very eyes.

For hours, Naruto remained planted in a chair against the hospital bed, his voice long gone after the countless "I'm sorries" he'd blurted out. Now Naruto remained silent, eyes intently locked on the ghastly face of his sick teacher. They scanned for movement, for vibrancy, for life...

Behind him stood Sakura and Tsunade, what time they arrived exactly, Naruto didn't know, but they stood there behind him, silent and observant.

It only took a matter of moments before one of them spoke.

"Naruto," Sakura uttered quietly, "a lot's happened tonight with you and Iruka...we should get you home, you can come and see Sensei in the morning."

He made no movements, only stared at the body below him.

Sakura sighed behind him, walking towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"He would be angry if he saw you now," she inclined, "why not_"

"Sakura, the last things I said to him...I practically said I hated him. And-and I was so close to apologizing to him...but...but," Naruto fought to hold his tears and keep his voice even, "what the hell?! When I get close, he's dying? What the hell's wrong with him!?"

"Poisoned," Tsunade said from behind the trio, "fast working and certainly taking effect."

"And there's nothing you_The best medic in the world_can do?" Naruto pleaded, eyes as wide as saucers staring pleadingly at Tsunade "please, help him!"

"Naruto, we've done all we can do, and up until recently, he was stable," Tsunade explained, "but when we came back, he wasn't doing well, at all. I detected a poison within his body, and everything i've tried either makes it worse or takes no effect."

"So what are you saying, there's no hope?" tilting his head in utter disbelief, eyes misting at the undeniable outcome.

Tsunade nodded, ushering the unspoken answer.

Naruto looked away from her, back towards Iruka.  
"I didn't even get to say goodbye...I didn't even get to say a lot of things," he trailed off, "like sorry...for everything! For not seeing you a lot Iruka-sensei and for sometimes only speaking to you when I wanted ramen….or-or thankyou! I never got to say that to you either, but thank you for accepting me!" he was crying, his body trembling as an entourage of sobs erupted through his body, " and I love you_because I think that's one of the most important thngs you taught me_how to love!"

Hardened from years surrounded by death and warfare, Tsunade believed that her tears dried up decades ago, but she allowed herself to weep just this once. Iruka earned a place in her heart, defiantly more personal than the village as a whole. She looked over to Sakura, whose head remained downcast and face obscured by her pink hair. Her shoulders hunched as she struggled to breath. Tsunade could see the tears falling to the ground just below her. The dim lit lights of the room reflected scattered tears giving the illusion that diamonds littered the floor.

Death, in all of Tsunade's life, had never been this beautiful. She supposed that the scene, as gloomy as it appeared, fitted Iruka well. Someone such as him deserved truly to go in peace.

Not covered in blood and decapitated on a battlefield.

She gave them moments more to weep, before silently stepping behind them and grabbing their attention.

Placing her hands on their shoulders, they turned back towards her.

"He's not dead yet," she half-heartedly reassured, "we need to go, i'll send a medical team to revalute him, see if there's anything else we can do."

Naruto sniffed, shaking his head roughly, " I want to stay with him...you know, just in case he wakes up or...or."

"Naruto you don't need this now," sternly, Tsunade began, "you need to rest_Sakura, take him home."

"No!" he protested loudly, "I want to stay!"  
"Stop being stubborn!" Sakura interjected, "Iruka-sensei would be angry if you just stayed here and tired yourself out!"

"I don't care what he thinks! Just leave me alone!" Naruto was balistic now, leaning over his Sensei's body and pulling him closer.

"Oh Naru_"  
"We don't have time for this!" Tsunade shouted out of agitation, "Naruto_we have a lot to discuss_and I know that Iruka's….I know this is hurting you, this is killing you but you'll get over it. A ninja cannot constantly dwell on regrets and the past. Naruto, if anything Iruka would want you to know everything about Chris, he'd want you to know the complete truth!"  
Sakura, despite her crying, perked up at this. So Chris? That was his name.

"But for now, "Tsunade continued, "go home and get some rest. If you refuse, i'll manually remove you myself."  
He didn't want to, but Tsunade's warning was no empty threat.

"Fine."

"Sakura, see to it that he returns home, safely," Tsunade instructed carefully, "now."

Sakura nodded and took her friend by the shoulders.

"Come on Naruto, we can check on him in the morning," Sakura cleared her voice slightly, gently pulling Naruto away from the chair.

Naruto, at that moment, gave up. He knew that the moment he left, Iruka-sensei would leave him forever.

So this was goodbye.

Tsunade side stepped and allowed them to pass her. Head lowered, Naruto aimlessly allowed Sakura to pull him.

Then suddenly, quiet and almost inaudible, the three turned their heads behind them at the croak of Naruto's name.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he broke from Sakura's grip and rushed back towards the bed.

Glazed eyes half lidded, lips slightly apart, Iruka ushered Naruto's name one more time.

"Yes! Sensei, i'm right here! I'm sorry for yelling, i'm really sorry!" He blurted,his tears spilling over "and thank you for everything! I love you so much," Naruto laughed as he scooped Iruka into a hug, "you're okay...you're okay."

"Let me through Naruto, "Tsunade instructed, her voice slightly bewildered, "Sakura, fetch a medical team."

"R-right," she stammered, surprised by her Sensei's sudden resurrection.

"Naruto…" he croaked again as his eyes fluttered, "t's o..kay. I-love you t-oo."

"Move aside!" Tsunade commanded, hovering her hands over Iruka. No way in hell should he have been speaking, the poison took an extreme effect on his body.

The medical team came and quickly filled the room, Sakura leading them all.

"Stabilize him," she instructed, " her, towards Tsunade."

They did as they were told.

"Uzumaki-san, we're going to have to ask you to move aside," one instructed as he pulled down the sheet covering Iruka. Naruto, eager for his Sensei to regain his health, did as he was told, moving near the wall and watching Tsunade, Sakura and the medics work. Sniffling, he held up the wall, a smile creeping on his face as he thought of the future and envisioned his new family. Iruka Sensei, Sakura and Chris. The perfect family.

And then, Iruka stopped breathing. A heavy feeling erupted within Naruto, and slowly, he felt himself die on the inside.

OOOOOOOOOOOO  
_"I didn't even get to say goodbye...I didn't even get to say a lot of things," Naruto?_

_"like sorry...for everything! For not seeing you a lot Iruka-sensei and for sometimes only speaking to you when I wanted ramen….or-or thankyou! I never got to say that to you either, but thank you for accepting me!" Naruto! Why was crying?_

_" and I love you_because I think that's one of the most important things you taught me_how to love!" Apologizing, he was apologizing? For what_no, also confessing_but why?_

The pain subsided after a while, and Iruka felt the movement in his body slowly return to him. He estimated It would be another ten minutes before he could walk, but at least the pain left him. But then like a knife piercing his soul, the pleading of a boy filled his head_it filled the area around him.

Naruto called for him.

"Mizuki! I can hear Naruto," Iruka yelled to his friend, suddenly worried for his student's well-being, "He's crying, he's hurt, please, I need to help him!"

"I can here him too," Mizuki replied calmly.

"He needs me!" Iruka shouted, "send me back!"

"That's not up to me whether you get to live again, I already told you your fate," Mizuki retorted, "you can't go back."

"Like hell i'll just wait here and hear him cry! Mizuki, how do I get back?"

"My mouth is closed."

"Mizuki…" his voice rose an octave higher, "tell me."

"Nope, but, I can give you a hint.," he supplied, "what lead you here?"  
"Damn, I don't know? I was waking, and floating and thinking and then I started remembering things and then it's like something_Ahh! My memories!"

"Close enough idiot, what else?"

Iruka thought and thought, something powerful lay behind those memories. He remembered Naruto and Chris. He remembered what the Hokage said just before Chris was born, about the seal.

"Love!" Iruka cried out triumphantly, "it's love!"

Mizuki nodded and gave a smirk, however, it melted into a frown, "The pain will come back, only for a while, but it will be excruciating like before. You won't be there for long, can't be there for long, your body's not strong enough anymore. You've only got a few seconds, a minute at the most. That is, if you can get there, if your memories are strong enough."

Eyes glued shut, Iruka began concentrating mid Mizuki's sentence.

He dug and dug into his brain. He searched for memories which contained the most love and used them as a channel.

_"Hey Sensei...how ya doin?" a small Naruto stood on Iruka's doorstep, foot twirling and head down._

_Iruka sighed as he leaned on the frame, "You want ramen, don't you?"_

_Naruto beamed, a smile stretching across his features._

_"Yeah! Iruka-Sensei's taking me out for Ramen!"_

_"I swear, you'll milk me dry, won't you Naruto," he spoke as he began to walk out ( he already expected his student's visit)._

_"No, i'm just hungry, that's all!" Naruto replied happily, "when I become the Hokage, i'll pay you back ten fold, won't that make you happy Iruka- Sensei?"_

_"Dont' pay me back with money, just with your success and happiness, okay?" Iruka quickly corrected his student, "And i don't mind buying Ramen or anything else for you, as long as it's reasonable, it's okay."_

A vein throbbed in Iruka's head, followed by the feeling of needles pricking his arms.

The memories were feeding him love, it was working.

_"Naruto, why the long face?" absent from class all day, Iruka assumed that the blond would be here, swinging on the swing right outside of the ninja academy. He was by himself._

_Naruto didn't meet Iruka's eye, he continued to stare down at the ground, tears misting over his eyes._

_"Naruto_"_

_"If nobody likes me and if everyone always bullies me and i'm always alone, why was I created? I mean, doesn't something like me seem like a waste? What's...what's_Iruka-sensei, are you crying!? See, I messed up again, I'll get_"_

_Before Naruto hopped off of the swing to run and get help, Iruka seized him up in a bone crushing hug, pulling the boy to his chest and resting his chin on Naruto's head._

_"Don't ever say that again," he instructed eerily calmly, despite the moisture that soaked Naruto's head, "Isn't me loving you enough? Naruto, we're both alone, okay. But we have each other, so for you not to want to live anymore...it hurts a lot. I know that the village gives you a hard time, I know they treat you like dirt, but it will get better Naruto, it will."_

_"But Sensei, it's_"_  
_"Shh...shh," he silenced Naruto, readjusting his position so he stared intently into those large blue eyes, "I will be with you always…"_

The pain spilled over, and had he not grabbed on to the memories as hard as he had, he was certain he would have passed out. But it was working, his body began to lift.

_Thunder roared through the village as the storm raged on, and already the power of Iruka's complex had gone out completely. He lit candles and placed them in different places throughout his home._

_Another rumble shook his house causing his things to tremble. It hadn't bothered him much, he'd grown used to it. However, the knocking on the door startled him._

_"SENSEI! OPEN UP!"_

_"Naruto?" he said a loud, concern flooding his mind. The boy could be killed. or-or electrocuted. Running to his door, Iruka had no time to brace himself as a wet bundle of joy pounced on him._

_"I'm so scared! Let me sleep with you, I don't wanne be at home by myself anymore!"_

_"Naruto, did you walk here by yourself," Iruka, slightly angered, asked the boy._

_"I was scared!" he whined, refusing to let got of Iruka as the storm continued to rage on, "besides, you said i'll always have you."_

_"Then next time," Iruka kicked the door closed, "let me come to you, don't put yourself in danger by walking to my house in the middle of a storm, okay."_

_Naruto looked saddened, "I don't want Iruka-sensei mad at me." _  
_"Ugh, i'm not mad..im just worried, that's all_I care about you, okay...now let's get you dried, i'll make you something warm to eat, okay? "_  
_"Like ramen?"_

_"Yeah, like ramen."_

He was so angry at the boy for endangering himself like that, so angry. It ticked him off more than anything, but the fact that his love and protection meant so much to the boy made his heart melt.

Now he was in the white abyss, spiraling out of control, floating into nothingness. He was almost there.

_"Red hair…?" Iruka asked as he helped the baby to his chest, "whom in Naruto's family_ahh, Kushina."_  
_"She was always fond of you, thought you were a cute kid," Sandaime spoke as he stared outside of Iruka's hospital window, "she's be delighted to see you holding her grandson."_

_"You think so," the boy reached up and grabbed Iruka's stray locks, they undid his hair for him after he passed out._

_The small child yanked hard on his hair, pulling his head down as he did so._

_"Ouch," Iruka giggled, attempting to pry one tiny fist open, "that hurts."_

_Tiny fingers wrapped around Iruka's larger finger and pulled them towards the baby's mouth._

_"Hey, no!" he laughed again, wrestling with the baby's "iron" grip, "don't put my finger in your mouth."_

_"You know, you could keep him," the Hokage offered, "you'd be a good parent."_

_"He'd be safer with..normal people, not a ninja like me. He'd be a target," Iruka rehearsed carefully, "It's better this way."_

_The boy cooed as Iruka pulled him closer._

_"I dont' want to give him away_I just, Naruto and everyone else...I have to make this decision, he'll be safer with a new family and new identity."_

_The Hokage nodded and allowed Iruka moments more with the red headed child._

He wondered what Chris would do now, if he and Naruto could finally be with each other. His creation was a cruel trick of society. Konoha needed a new jinchuuriki just incase anything happend to Naruto, so why not use the nine tails chakra against him? A cruel compromise indeed but it resulted in something beautiful. Iruka just hoped that Naruto would see through the forced conception and learn to love his son as a person rather than an abomination.

" Come on Naruto, we can check on him in the morning," Sakura...she was taking Naruto away.

The pain ignited throughout Iruka's body, and he used whatever chakra he had left to utter his student's name.

"N..aruto," his throat was on fire, but he needed to get Naruto's attention. He needed to tell him it was alright, that he wasn't mad at him for yelling at him, that he loved him just as much. But he didn't even have to strenght to tell him that. He could already feel a tug on his soul like earlier, so he called Naruto's name again.

He could hardly make out his student's face, his sight was dimming by the second. His hearing was waning as well, and if not for Naruto's eagerness to get his point across, Iruka would have gone completely deaf before the boy finished.

His voice was almost gone, he could feel this deteriorating feeling branching into his throat. He didn't have much longer.

""t's o..kay. I-love you t-oo." Instantly, something within Iruka snapped.

By now, medics had flocked him, but Iruka was no longer in his body. A rush of joy and happiness hooked onto his soul and lifted him up.

*Up he went through the roof and into the sky, and all at once, he could see so many different things. As he went faster and faster, he saw Naruto's life begin and end before his very eyes, he say Chris' life before his very life as well.

Up...He could see Tsunade speaking to Naruto about Chris, telling her why he was created and how.

Up...he saw Sai apologizing and Naruto forgiving him, both crying.

Up….he saw his own funeral, and as eerie as it should have been, he was delighted to see the amount of people that showed up. The entire village wore black!

Up…Sasuke returned to the village, not in chains though, not for long. Long ago did he abandon the Uchiha name, and now, he was just Sasuke. He was surrounded by friends.

Up...He saw Chris and Naruto standing by his grave, an exotic assortment of flowers in their hands as they placed it by the head stone.

Up...Up...Up he went as more and more images floated into his head, he saw his students again, he saw their struggles their losses, but he saw his lessons carried out by them each individually. He saw his memory living on to the next generation and the next generation…

"Seen enough," and that was Mizuki, leaning on a tree, his figure surrounded in a halo of light, "It's time for us to go now."

"Was that," tears had fallen from his eyes at the sight of what he'd just seen, tears of joy, "Was that all real."

Mizuki just smiled, "Supposed to be, but anything can change. But, for the most part, yeah, it's pretty much real."

Mizuki extended a hand and beckoned Iruka to come forward. Iruka jumped as he looked at himself, "Wh...what?! I'm glowing."

"You're dead," Mizuki replied as the light began to engulf the forest, "Now let's go. Besides, I want to see Tsubaki."

"Wait...before we do, why are you here, why didn't you just leave?"

MIzuki paused at this, closing his eyes to think and then opening them. "Purgatory_it's different for all of us, this was mine."

"To wait here until I died?" Iruka asked, "but why?"

"Let's just say, I owed you a debt. This is my apology for hurting you," he replied, "do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do!" Iruka hugged his friend, "You gave me a second chance, sorta...now, I guess it's time to go, huh? I'm gonna miss everybody, but something inside of me is telling me it's okay to go."

"Yeah, but keep in mind, you didn't see those images for no reason," the light was so bright that Iruka could no longer see Iruka's face, "Remember your promise to Naruto, you're not done with him yet."

Iruka smiled once more, "So what, am I a guardian angel now?"

"Something of the sort."

The light engulfed them both.

(I was just gonna end it here, but that would be evil)

OOOOOOOOO

Epilogue (of a sort)

Chris and Naruto gently lowered their heads at the gravestone, then, brought them back up as a breeze erupted through the orchard. Iruka, unlike the hero he was, would not have liked to be burried in the normal graveyard, at least that's what Naruto had thought.

After Iruka's death, his funeral arrangements had been left to Naruto. The boy found an orchard that had been long abandoned and decided to bury his Sensei there, he believed that Iruka would have loved the beauty and simplicity that surrounded the sleepy orchard. The birds chirped always, despite the weather, and during the spring a summer, the grass was a vibrant green and the sky above them was clear save for a few clouds. It seemed oddly familiar, and from a distance, Naruto could hear running water, though he never found the source.

Accepting that his Sensei had died had been hard at first. Not killing Sai had been harder. No one could blame Naruto though, Iruka had actually spoken before he stopped breathing. Naruto believed that, for a moment, his Sensei survived the corrosive poisoning. But Tsunade explained to him later that Iruka speaking to him was a miracle in himself, the poison killed him the instant he'd been infected with it, his mind was already gone. The hopelessness that hallowed Naruto had caused him depression for weeks, he'd see no one and do nothing. Had it not been for Chris and his friends Naruto would have killed himself.

Now five years later, the pain still hurt, but not as much as it had before. After Iruka's death, a string of events followed after, Sasuke returning being the biggest. The Avenger had ridden himself of his last name and decided to live only as Sasuke, not Sasuke Uchiha. Not only that, but he decided to open himself up to Chris rather than avoiding him completely.

He found out about why he was conceived, knew that the village created him due to the fact that he'd be a backup jinchuuriki just in case anything happened to Naruto. Besides, only an Uzumaki was powerful enough to contain the beast.

Naruto was happy that Iruka had taken hold of Chris' future and had secured him with a foster family. If he hadn't, then who knows what the village would have done to the boy?

"Ready to go back home Chris?" the redhead looked up at him with a smile on his face, "Uh-huh, are you coming with me?"

"Nah, not tonight, I have a mission tonight and your parents want you home early. But maybe tomorrow?" Naruto suggested.

The boy nodded, and his hair ruffled in the wind as another gust blew through the orchard. Naruto smiled down at his creation, once again fighting the urge to tell Chris whom he really was, to tell Chris that Chris was indeed his son, and that he was his father. However, for his own safety, he'd wait, just like Iruka-sensei wanted him too.

As they walked down, the falling leaves obscured their vision. Fall was just months away, and the green leaves of the orchard had already paled and turned vibrant shades of hot colors. And just ahead of them, Naruto could have sworn he'd seen a transparent figure.

Long brown hair, tan skin with a scar etched neatly across the bridge of the nose, he believed he saw Iruka smile. But then again, it was nothing new. He saw him all the time. Besides, dead or alive, a person like Iruka Sensei never left Naruto, his memory remained deep within his heart.

OOOOO

**Let me just say, I had to put myself in teh mood for this. Originally, I planned for it to be longer, but, oh well. I listened to such sad song, like, "Remebering Sunday, " ATL, that was on repeat, "Terrible Things," Mayday Parade and Heaven by Bryan Adams, also a lot of Disney songs too.**

**I hope that wasn't entirely terrible, as hard as I tried I felt like i missed something. If you couldn't tell, I was trying to get rid of all the "to-be" verbs because my English teacher told me it would make my writing better, but it was impossible. I tried to do death the best way I could w/out making it too sad, and also, the orchard is supposed to Mirror the purgatory Mizuki remained on while waiting for Iruak, hence, Iruka is there waiting for naruto. I debated on whether inching in a kakairu, but went against it, it was better w/out that. No sequel, I dont' see what it would be...but anyway, please please please review, i'll guess i'll start the redo of "The Love that Binds Us," I've been getting ideas for that. Anyway, hope you like it, REVIEW! And God bless:D**


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